PSA: Don't waste money on cheap flux like I did

I bought this bulk pack of flux off Amazon for like $15 thinking I was saving big. Big mistake. It was some no-name brand and it just would not flow right no matter how hot I got the metal. Spent a whole weekend trying to weld a simple garden gate and ended up with cold joints everywhere. Had to grind it all down and start over. Lost about $50 in material and 2 days of work because I cheaped out on flux. Now I only stick with the brands my local shop recommends. Has anyone else had a bad experience with generic welding supplies?

2 comments

2 Comments

wendy_henderson2118d ago

Same thing happened to me with some cheap rod from a online liquidation place. Could not get a decent bead to save my life, it was like trying to glue butter together. Switched to Lincoln and never looked back, that stuff flows like it's supposed to. Learned my lesson though, that mess cost me a Saturday and a near miss on a trailer hitch repair. Now I just bite the bullet and pay the extra few bucks at the supply house, saves me the headache.

josephbailey18d ago

Got a bucket of that stuff once from a surplus auction. Took three tries just to get the stinger to hold an arc. Ended up tossing the whole box in the scrap pile.